Laptop computers are necessities in business, especially for those whose work takes them by car between customer and division locations. Between visits, a user must often use the laptop to prepare for an upcoming visit or to process the results of a just concluded one. In addition, the user may need to communicate with his home location to check and respond to messages received in his absence. Often, this communication is over the Internet.
When seeking to use a laptop in a car, the user encounters serious difficulties. Most importantly, there is the need to present the laptop keyboard at a comfortable and ergonomically desirable angle and position and the need to present the display in such a manner as not to lead to vision or muscle strain. Although the car steering wheel offers a potential support for the laptop, alone it cannot meet the support requirements.
In addition to accessing a laptop on the road between visits, a user also uses the laptop during visits, for example, as a means of presentation to a group. By using his own laptop instead of depending on the variable facilities of different sites, the user can quickly initiate his talk without the necessity of individualized preparation. However, a laptop on a tabletop ineffectively delivers information. The screen is often low, presenting viewing difficulties to the audience not seated immediately adjacent to the laptop.